Water actuated jump rope



Dec. 2, 1969 LANG, 5 ET AL WATER ACTUATED JUMP ROPE Filed May 12, 1964 He 7777171 ,77025'0 Z2.

BY f I fgg 17 azmIE/st 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 2, 1969 I LANG, sR,, ET AL I 3,481,600

WATER ACTUATED JUMP ROPE Filed May 12, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I j! 5 J7 j 1', n I H lNVENTORaS. fee rye 4471 J). Hf7'777d77 FeZ'o Z2 Dec. 2, 1969 G. H. LANG, SR, ET AL WATER ACTUATED JUMP ROPE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 12, 1964 W m2 2 W 4 4 W United States Patent 3,481,600 WATER ACTUATED JUMP ROPE George H. Lang, Sr., Clarkston, and Herman Rekolt, Warren, Micl1.; said Rekolt assignor to George Rlllk, Walled Lake, Mich.

Filed May 12, 1964, Ser. No. 366,785 Int. Cl. A63b /20, 5/22 US. Cl. 272-74 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to jumping apparatus and the like for amusement and exercising purposes and more particularly to a fluid actuated jump rope that is adapted to be self supported.

In the conventional type of jump rope of the prior art, a rope is provided with a handle at each end and two persons stand separated from each other and turn the rope in a substantial circle near the ground. A third person then stands between the two and jumps over the rope. In this situation the enjoyment of the two persons at either end of the rope is substantially lessened because they are precluded from jumping rope themselves. Also, many times the other children in the vicinity of a child desiring to jump rope are preoccupied with other amusements and do not wish to participate in the rope jumping activity, thus leaving the child without someone to turn the rope. On the other hand, the child may be alone and desire to jump rope such as may occur on a farm, etc., and no children will be in the vicinity to turn the rope.

The instant invention is so designed as to be an improvement over the above described prior art by being self-actuated and further provides additional enjoyment and pleasure in its use by providing means for spraying the user with water while the rope is turning. Thus, the rope may be enjoyed by many youngsters without designating any of them to turn the rope or may be enjoyed by one youngster without having to depend on others to turn the rope. However, provisions have been made in the present invention to allow a youngster to disconnect one end of the rope from its stand and turn this end if it is desired that the water not be used.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved jump rope.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a jump rope that is self-actuated.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a jump rope that is free standing and self-actuated.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a jump rope that is rugged, sturdy and simple to use.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a jump rope that is easy and inexpensive to manufacture.

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Still another object of the present invention is to provide a jump rope, the enjoyment of which is greatly increased by the combination of its water spraying and self-actuated features.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a jump rope that may be converted from a selfactuated to a manually actuated operation.

The foregoing objects are accomplished with the instant invention by a fluid-actuated jump rope unit, which is adapted to be used in conjunction with a jumping surface, comprising a tubular member which has a closed end and an open end. A connector assembly means is provided having coupling means for connecting the open end to a source of fluid under pressure and further includes means for rotatably supporting the open end relative to said coupling means. The assembly further includes a first means for rotatably supporting the closed end spaced from the jumping surface and a second means fixedly supporting the fluid connecting means relative to the jumping surface. Apertures are formed in the tubular member intermediate the ends thereof for providing motive power to rotate the tubular member relative to the first and second means When the fluid leaves the apertures.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a fluid-actuated jump rope embodying certain principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side view of FIGURE 1 partially broken away and taken along line 2-2 thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of the coupling mechanism of FIGURE 2 taken along line 33 thereof;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of the hose member connection of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of the support arm or eye of FIGURE 4 taken along line 55 thereof;

FIGURE 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the tubular member of FIGURE 2 taken along line 66 thereof;

FIGURE 7 is a side view of a modification of the coupling mechanism illustrated in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view of the fastener assembly of FIGURE 7 taken along line 7--7 thereof; and

FIGURE 9 is a side view of a modification of the hose member coupling mechanism illustrated in FIGURE 4.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIGURES 1 and 2, there is generally illustrated a jump rope assembly 9 which comprises a pair of stand assemblies 11 and 13 for supporting a tubular member or jump rope 15 hanging in a substantial catenary therebetween. The jump rope 15 is formed of a tube of flexible material such as plastic or the like and has a central portion 17 and a pair of end portions 19 and 2.1. The central portion 17 is provided with a set of apertures 22 therein which are so formed in a transverse outer edge thereof as to be always generally facing an opposite direction to that of the desired path of travel of the tubular member 15 when in use. It is to be understood that the apertures may be tilted in one direction or another for spraying purposes, but the general direction of a large portion of the Water spray is as described above. The apertures 22 are for a purpose that will be more fully explained as the description proceeds.

The stand assembly 11 consists of a rigid pipe member 23 of tubular construction which is fixed to the ground 25 or other jumping surface by a spike 27 attached to the pipe member 23 and driven into the ground 25. The spike 27 may be fastened to the pipe member 23 by attachment of the spike 27 to a wooden peg 29 in any suitable manner and then fastening the wooden peg 29 into the end of the .pipe member 23 as by a sheet metal screw 31. These details are best illustrated in FIGURE 2.

The pipe member 23 is held in the upright position by a plurality of guy ropes 33 which have one end thereof inserted into holes 35 and knotted, as at 36, to prevent the end from slipping out of the hole 35. The other ends of the guys 33 are fixed to the ground 25 by attaching the ends to pegs 37 which are then pounded into the ground 25. The pegs 37 are illustrated as being fabricated of steel or other metal but they may be made of wood or any suitable rigid material. It is to be noted that the spread of the guys 33 is sufl tcient to rigidly support the pipe member 23 in the upright position and care must be taken that the pegs 37 are not placed too close to pipe member 23. The uppermost portion of the pipe member 23 is provided with a plastic cap 39 which is inserted over the end thereof to preclude the entry of water, dirt, etc., into the interior of the pipe member 23 which may be unfinished, thereby preventing rusting or other damage to the pipe member 23.

As illustrated in phantom in FIGURES 1 and 2, tubular member 15 is adapted to rotate about the ends 19, 21 to circumscribe a substantial sphere above the ground in the conventional manner. To accomplish this action, ends 19, 21 are rotatably supported on their respective stand assemblies 11, 13 and motive power is supplied as will be hereinafter explained. Referring particularly to FIGURE 3, there is illustrated a rotatable connector 41 which rotatably supports end 19 in a substantially parallel plane relative to pipe member 23. End 19 is closed off, hereinafter referred to as the closed end, by a peg member 43 inserted therein. A wire ring 45 is tightly fastened over a point where the end 19 and peg member 43 overlap, thus securing the two elements together. The peg member 43 is formed with an aperture 47 therein which is adapted to receive a mounting bolt 49 therethrough. The bolt 49 is fastened to pipe member 23 by means of a pair of nuts 51, 53 and a bushing element 55 is interposed between nut 53 and peg 43 to allow the peg 43 to freely rotate on bolt 49.

The stand assembly 13 is identical in construction to that of stand assembly 11 in the manner in which it is fastened to the ground, as by rod 55, and in the guy ropes 57 provided to hold the assembly vertical. However, a slightly modified pipe member 59 has been utilized to accommodate a rotating connector assembly 61 which rotatably fastens end 21 to stand assembly 13.

Referring particularly to FIGURES 4 and 5, wherein there is illustrated the connector assembly 61 rigidly mounted to pipe member 59 by means of an eye bolt 63. The eye bolt 63 is provided with a threaded end 65 which threadably engages a plug member 67 pressed into pipe member 59. A plastic cap 69 also threadably engages the end 65 and fits over the upper end of pipe member 59 to prevent the entry of water, dirt, etc., as described in connection with pipe member 23. The other end of eye bolt 63 i formed with an open eye portion 71 which engages a recessed portion 73 of connector 61 as best illustrated in FIGURE 5.

The recessed portion 73 is formed intermediate ends 75, 77 of a tubular housing member 79 forming the outer shell of the coupling 61. The end 75 is bent inwardly to form a radial lip 81 which serves to retain a bearing member 83 therein. The bearing member 83 is formed with a hollow bore 85 which receives a generally L-shaped tubular connector 87. The connector 87 is swaged at the upper end 89 thereof and coacts with a metal O-ring 91 to prevent the connector 87 from being pulled through the bore of bearing member 83 through the rough use of the assembly by children. The connector 87 is so dimensioned as to enable it to be inserted into the end 21 of tubular member 15 and fastened thereto as by a wire fastener 93 in a manner similar to the attachment of end 19 to peg 43.

The end 77 is formed with threads 95 on it inside periphery and is adapted to threadably engage the threaded male end of a hose 97. The hose 97 is adapted to be connected to a source of fluid under pressure such as a residential water supply, but it is to be understood that any fluid may be used such as a colored gas under pressure or the like.

Thus it is seen from the above description, the source of pressurized fluid is in direct fluid communication with the interior of tubular member 15 through a passage defined by hose 97, hollow connector 61, L-shaped connector 87 and into tubular member 15. As was stated above, tubular member 15 is provided with a plurality of apertures 22 which are formed from the hollow interior thereof through the wall of tubular member 15 to the atmosphere. Thus the fluid flowing in the tubular member 15 will meet the closed end 19 and force the fluid out through the apertures 22 due to the pressure created in the member 15.

This escaping fluid is the median used to supply the motive power to turn the rope 15 when it is in use. Therefore, the direction of the apertures 22 is of importance in utilizing the greatest force to turn the rope 15. The greatest force available is when the apertures face a direction exactly opposite to the desired direction of travel of the rope. When the rope 15 is hanging in its inactive position, this direction coincides with a plurality of horizontal lines through each of the apertures. With this direction of apertures, the line of force of the escaping fluid on the rope 15 will always be tangential to the circle described by each of the apertures as the rope 15 is rotated about its ends 19, 21.

Rope 15 is normally fabricated of a material which is sufliciently stiff that it may be formed to hang in the catenary described above. Thus the curve at the central portion 17 is gradual to allow the greatest freedom of movement of the users While jumping rope. However, to insure the proper curve of the rope in the case of extremely flexible materials or an unbalance of forces should some of the apertures become clogged, a length of wire is inserted into the interior of the rope 15 and extends from closed end 19 to open end 21. The wire 99 has been preformed into the desired curve or may be made sufficiently flexible to assume the desired curve.

In operation, the stand assemblies 11 and 13 are set up with the rope 15 hanging therebetween. One end of a garden hose 97 may be attached to a connector 61 and the other end to a source of water under pressure. As the water is turned on, the pressure of the water will force a spray from the apertures 22 and the rope 15 will begin to turn. When the proper speed has been reached, the first child may begin jumping rope and enjoy the spray of the water. If it is desired that th rope be used Without the water spray, the hose 97 may be disconnected from the connector assembly 61 which in turn will be released from eye bolt 71. A child may then hold connector assembly 61 in his hand and turn the rope for the others to enjoy. On the other hand, if control of the action of the rope 15 is desired, the connector 61 may be removed from the stand 13 and the rope 15 turned while the hose 97 is still attached.

Referring particularly now to FIGURES 7 and 8 of the drawing, there is illustrated a coupling mechanism 101 which is a modification of the closed connection 41 of FIGURE 3. In the modified form, the stand 23 is formed with a through hole 103 which is adapted to receive the horizontal end of a portion of flexible tubing 105 formed of plastic, nylon or like material. The tubing 105 may be suitably fastened to tubular member 15 (FIGURE 1) but it is to be understood that tubing 105 may be formed as tubular member 15 and serve as the jump rope. In this latter situation, the tube 105 will be formed with the desired caternary form as described above and the wire member 99 may be eliminated. As is seen in FIGURE 7, the tube 105 is formed with an angle of approximately 135 as it has been found that the proper form is assumed by the jump rope for the rotational operation of the rope 15.

In securing the tube 105 to the pipe member 23, the tube 105 is inserted through the holes 103 and a fastener assembly comprising a washer 109 and a self tapping screw 111 is applied. It is to be noted that the screw is threaded directly into the material of the tube 105 and serves the double function of sealing the end of tube 105 as described above and fastens the tube 105 to the pipe member 23.

Thus it is seen that the tube 105 is free to rotate directly in the holes 103 formed in tubular member 23 without the requirement of a complex rotatable coupling. The operation of the coupling mechanism 101 is identical to that of 41 with the exception that a more unitary structure is formed. The cap 39 is provided for the purpose described in conjunction with FIGURE 3.

A modification of the guy ropes 33 is also illustrated in FIGURE 7 in that a ring 115 has been passed through a portion of the pipe member 23 to leave a loop 117 outside the pipe member 23. The guy ropes 33 may be attached to the loop as illustrated and anchored as described in conjunction with FIGURE 1. Thus theattachment of the guy ropes 33 is simplified over the arrangement shown in FIGURE 3.

If it is desired to control the operation of the rope by hand, the screw 111 and washer 109 may be removed and the tube 105 extracted from the pipe member 23. On replacement of the screw 111 and Washer 109, the fluid may then be passed through the apertures 22 described above and the rope may be turned fast or slow by hand.

Referring now to FIGURE 9, there is illustrated a modification of modified coupling 118 which is the hose connection 61 shown in FIGURE 1. In this modification, the pipe member 59 is formed with a through hole 119, into which is press-fitted or otherwise fixed a bearing member 121. Thus a bearing shaft 123 is formed to rotatably receive a second plastic or nylon tube 125. It is to be understood that tube 125 may be the other end of tube 105 in the case where the tubes 105 and 125 and jump rope 15 are formed of a single piece of tubing.

A hose coupling 127 is welded or otherwise suitably attached to a bearing 121 and forms a means by which a fluid hose 129 or the like may be attached to the tube 125. Thus an actuating fluid may be conducted to the jump rope through the coupling 118. The end of tube 125 has been provided with a flange 133 and an O-ring 135 which serves to prevent tube 125 from slipping out of bearing tube 121. It has been found that many synthetic materials such as plastics and the like will form such a flange 133 by an application of heat thereto, thus eliminating the need for special forming machinery.

A plastic cap 137 has been provided to seal the end of the pipe member 59 and a guy rope assembly 139 has also been provided as described in conjunction with FIG- URE 7. Thus applicant has provided a greatly simplified jump rope assembly which is inexpensive to manufacture and simple to operate.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiment of the invention disclosed is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid-powered jump rope comprising in combination:

a looped tubular member having aperture means directed generally in a horizontal direction when said looped tubular member is in its lowermost position for discharging fluid in a direction substantially tangent to the path of rotation of said looped tubular member with suflicient force to rotate said tubular member;

a pair of spaced support members;

mounting means for rotatably securing the ends of the tubular member to the support members; and

means for directing a fluid under pressure into the tubular member at one end thereof to rotate the tubular member about an axis adjacent the ends thereof in response to the fluid flowing therefrom through the aperture means.

2. The improvement of claim 1 wherein said aperture means includes a plurality of holes spaced axially on said tubular member.

3. The improvement of claim 1 wherein said directing means further includes means for starting rotation of said tubular member under the influence of said pressurized fluid.

4. The improvement of claim 1 wherein said pressurized fluid varies the speed of said tubular member from standstill to a maximum jumping speed dependent on the maximum pressure of said fluid.

5. The improvement of claim 1 wherein said mounting means includes connector assembly means having coupling means fixed relative to one support member for connecting said one end to a source of fluid pressure and means rotatably supported relative to said coupling means for rotatably supporting said one end relative to said coupling means, and plug means sealably engaging the other end for preventing the escape of fluid from said other end.

6. A fluid actuated jump rope unit adaptable for use with a jumping surface comprising a generally looped tubular member adapted to be rotated about an axis of rotation and having a closed end and an open end, connector assembly means having coupling means for connecting said open end to a source of fluid under pressure, said connector assembly means further including means for rotatably supporting said open end relative to said coupling means, first means for rotatably supporting said closed end spaced from the jumping surface, second means for supporting said coupling means spaced from the jumping surface, and said tubular member further having spaced aperture means formed intermediate the ends thereof and being disposed to exert a tangential component of force for providing motive power to rotate said tubular member relative to said first and second means about said axis when the pressurized fluid leaves said aperture means.

7. The improvement of claim 6 wherein said tubular rotated relative to said first and second means when fluid leaves said apertures.

8. The improvement of claim 6 wherein said first means includes a first stand assembly having a vertical pole member and said second means includes a second stand assembly having a vertical pole member, said tubular member being rotated relative to said first and second stand assemblies.

9. The improvement of claim 8 wherein said connector assembly means includes a coupler and a tubular member rotatably connected at one end thereof to said coupler and at the other end thereof to said open end for rotatably supporting said open end relative to said coupler.

10. The improvement of claim 9 wherein said first stand assembly includes a connector attached to said pole member for rotatably supporting Said closed end spaced from the jumping surface and in a substantially vertical plane, and said second assembly includes means attached at the upper end of said vertical pole member for supporting said coupler spaced from the jumping surface.

7 8 11. The improvement of claim 8 wherein said tubular References Cited member forms a substantial catenary and wherein said UNITED STATES PATENTS second stand assembly lncludes an aperture and a bushing member fixed in said aperture for rotatably support- 2,426,603 9/1947 'f 239-463 ing said open end, and wherein said hose portion in- 3,013,798 12/1961 wllloughby 272-74 cludes said spaced apertures formed in a transverse out- 5 3,107,916 10/1963 Cooper ward surface.

12.. The improvement of claim 11 further including ANTON OECHSLE Pnmary Exammer plug means having a flange thereon for sealing said closed ARNOLD W. KRAMER, Assistant Examiner end to the escape of fluid and retaining said closed end in an aperture formed in said first stand assembly. 10 US. Cl. X.R. 

